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Thursday, 22 October 2015

“The juices were beginning to flow, and
nowhere did they flow as exuberantly as in the 87th, where life and
death sometimes got a little bit confused and where the flowing juices were all
too often a bright red.”

The more books I read about the 87th Precinct,
the more I find myself enjoying them.

This was my second Deaf Man story. The fact that I’m going in
the wrong order makes not a bit of difference.

Let’s
Hear It For The Deaf Man (US)
has a similar structure to Eight Black Horses. There’s the totally engaging
plotting of the Deaf Man himself, a strand relating to a series of cat-burglaries
that have taken place on the same block over a short space of time and there’s
been the crucifixion of an unidentified man.

Each of the strands is compelling. They’re written in ways
that build up elements of tension and heighten curiosity. They also allow further
exploration into the lives of the main detectives and their partners. In this
one, Detective Kling is totally bowled over by Augusta Blair (‘He had never
seen a more beautiful woman in his life.’), one of the victims of a break-in to
her apartment where the burglar has left a kitten by way of identifying himself.

This one covers lots of bases. It’s got something for the
fan of the whodunit, for those who like their crime brutal, for anyone who
enjoys dark humour, for readers who enjoy the perfectly formed quip and for
people who appreciate well-rounded characters who give more than two
dimensions.

Super stuff and I look forward to the next one.

If you’ve got any solid tips on your own particular faves, I’d
love to hear them – there are so many to choose from. Maybe I should just go
for book one and take it from there.

Wednesday, 21 October 2015

These days I don’t have the patience to read books that I’m
not getting along with. I may discard as many as a quarter of the books I begin
because I’m not enjoying them enough. I guess that means that if I take the
time to review something, it’s going to be a fairly positive reflection. It’s
not that I love all the books I start, it’s more that I only finish the ones
that grab me.

Last week I began Mignon by James M Cain. He’s written some
of my favourite pieces and so I know he’s a complete talent. The thing with Mignon
is that I don’t buy it from the off. I can’t accept the lead character throwing
over his life for this sultry beauty. I’m not even entirely sure what the post
civil war racket is all about. It bugged the hell out of me. I’d rather sit
down to watch the Minions movies in a triple-bill (that actually sounds like
fun) than finish the Cain book. That said, I’m worried I might be missing out
on a gem if I don’t keep going. Which is my question. Will my life be improved
if I take this back down from the shelf or do you think it’s better off left
where it is? Any thoughts welcome.

Jack Laramie lives in a horse box and carries around his
grandfather’s gun as a companion. He stumbles into Joe Crews at a prayer
meeting. Crews is an alcoholic veteran of the Korean War and he’s been invited
to sell an investment into bomb-proof underground shelters to ex-servicemen.
Laramie immediately smells a rat and sees the long con that Crews has been
sucked into.

What lures the detective into digging deeper into the con is
the need he feels to protect a fellow survivor. We learn more about Laramie’s
wartime experience as a gunner in a US bomber and as a prisoner of war in
sections of the story that are neatly woven into the tale.

It’s not long before the heavies behind the Bunker Pines operation
are uncovered and they’re not people to be messed with. Unfortunately, Laramie
can’t help himself.

This story is really well handled. The hard edges of the
action are complimented by subtle layers of sentiment and bags of atmosphere.
Most impressive is the depth of character created within a fairly short space.

This one’s for fans of detective fiction, particularly those
who hanker after work from a golden age. A really strong novella.

Sunday, 18 October 2015

“You’re from an age
before online banking and living off credit. You can track Benny down the
old-fashioned way. And once you get the money back, you can do him the
old-fashioned way as well.”

WhenThe Music’s Over (US)
is a tale set in Birmingham’s gangland. It has good guys turning bad, bad guys
staying bad and an ex-enforcer who comes out of retirement and isn’t sure which
way to turn.

Harry Weir is a nasty
piece of work. He’s a drug dealer who has become mean and complacent. He’s also
the son of one of the bosses of Birmingham’s biggest crime syndicate. He meets
his end at the hands of Benny Gower at the story's opening. Benny then steals from his bosses before
doing a good job of covering his tracks with a move to Southampton.

Enter Wynn McDonald.
Wynn’s an old-time crook with a big reputation. He is called up by gangsters
Castle and Weir to track down Harry’s killer and to locate the cash that has disappeared.
Wynn would be happy to stay away from his old business, but his ties are strong
and his loyalties clear. As he investigates Benny, however, his feelings begin
to change. No one has a bad word to say about Benny Gower and everyone seems to
be rooting for the guy.

Wynn’s good at his
job and soon has leads on Benny. The only thing he’s not sure of is how he’s
going to clean up the situation at hand. A glimpse into Benny’s past life as a
rock star and new information about the real reason his band never
made the big time only serve to muddy the waters as Wynn becomes increasingly
torn between doing the right thing and staying true to his past.

The ingredients of
the story work well the ending is very satisfying. The characters are
well-drawn and the setting is nicely created. To my mind, keeping the focus in
the moment and tightening the prose a little could have added even more to the
power and pace the work generates.

Overall, a fun and rewarding visit
into dark territories. Definitely one for the list for fans of things Brit Grit.

Wednesday, 7 October 2015

“Saddam wasn’t a Bond
villain. He was a thug in a white suit. He didn’t want to blow up the world.
Just to pick its pockets.”

Chris Rogers is a war veteran. He sits in his wheelchair
waiting for someone to come. When that someone arrives, he’s going to kill him.

This opening to Hurt
Hawks (US)
is full of power. It shows off many of Miner’s outstanding qualities. The guy
seems to have sixth and seventh senses. He is able to perceive the world
through the physical being of his characters and the shadows they create. This
ability offers a dimension to his work that is rare. The prose becomes poetic
at times and he mingles a dream-like quality to concrete events. In this way,
he gets deep under the skin and paints a world of many layers in a way that I
really enjoy.

What follows in this tale is a world of war, survival and
revenge. People do what they have to do in response to loyalties and codes that
aren’t always in their own best interest. In many of the situations created it
would be so much easier to walk away. For Captain Patrick Donovan and his crew,
this option isn’t even on the table. They are set on paying back Chris Rogers and
his family for services rendered and they’ll stop at nothing until all debts
are paid.

The main thread of the story, that of the war vets coming
together to fight new battles on home soil, is gripping. Outcomes are never
predictable. Surprises are thrown in from many unseen angles. I loved it. If there’s any issue with the book
for me, it is that I was so hooked into this central plot that tearing me away
from it to open doors to the back-story proved problematic. The past is an
essential aspect of the work, yet I might have preferred a more direct telling.
It’s a minor issue, though, and wouldn’t prevent me from heartily recommending
this as a read.

Miner has produced some amazing fiction to date. I suspect
that there is plenty still to come and I, for one, intend to be there to watch
this talent unfold.